Daily Devotional, February 27, 2012 "Disobedient Doubt"

Disobedient Doubt

read›Psalms 53:1
Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt,
and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! (v.1).

What do these famous men have in common:
Sigmund Freud, Jean-Paul Sartre, Bertrand
Russell, Karl Marx, Pablo Picasso, and Aldous
Huxley? They all declared that they did not believe in
God, and all were sexually promiscuous. Coincidence?

In The Making of an Atheist, James Spiegel explains
that many modern thinkers expressed doubts about God,
at least in part, because it made it easier for them to
continue in sin (Psalms 53:1). In an honest moment, Aldous
Huxley admitted, “For myself as, no doubt, for most of my
contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was
essentially an instrument of liberation. . . liberation from
a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality
because it interfered with our sexual freedom.”

Not all doubts about God arise from sin. There are
honest doubts that ambush our minds and haunt our
hearts. There are distressing questions that buckle our
knees in fear, and we will not rest until we solve them.
But if we think about the times we struggle with doubt,
it’s often when we have begun to coast in our walk with
Jesus. Prayer, meditating on Scripture, and worshiping with
fellow believers no longer capture our attention. We don’t
consciously live repentant lives that reveal a broken and
contrite heart that is truly seeking God (Psalms 51:3). Instead, we lash out at others with corrupt values, arrogance, bitterness, and
greed (Psalms 51:3).

Our sin has put us at risk. God no longer seems real to us, for we have usurped
His role in our lives. We’re troubled by our doubts about Him, but on one level we
may be relieved. If there’s no God, then we’re free to live as we want (Psalms 53:1). This
won’t solve every kind of doubt, but the first thing to do when struggling with doubt
is to search your life for unconfessed sin. Then repent (Psalms 51:7).

—Mike Wittmer

more›
Read Psalms 51:12 and note the importance of seeking God’s strength to
live a holy, obedient life.

next›
Examine the current condition of your heart for God. What is your
risk level for doubt? What can you do to prepare for doubt before
it comes?